Skilling Up In Hoen
by SamethP
Summary: Sam has been a trainer for many years. He the champion of Kanto for several years until he disappeared unexplainably… Sam has now returned to Hoen become champion, can he do it alone? Rated T to be safe. Accepting OC's. I don't own Pokemon etc.
1. Wandering Littleroot

Prologue

Sam had been a trainer for many years. He the champion of Kanto for several years until he disappeared unexplainably…

Sam has now returned to Hoen to start his Pokemon trainer career again. But where are his old Pokemon? And will his past come back to haunt him? Making new friends and rivals along the way, Sam travels through Hoen collecting badges with hope to regain his position at the top of the Elite Four and the Pokemon League.

Chapter 1

"_It's been two years since Kanto League Champion Sam has been seen. Sam was last seen training near Indigo Plateau, when a strange fog arose and he disappeared along with it. No-one knows what happened to the champ. In other news…_" Sam clicked off his PokeGear radio.

"All this time and they are still clueless, good thing they aren't searching in Hoen I guess…" chuckled Sam as he entered the small town of Littleroot.

Two years had passed since Sam's disappearance, _it's time to start again,_ he thought.

Sam was 18 with flicky brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He wore blue jeans and a long sleeve white top; almost indistinguishable as a masterful trainer. _But first, off to Burke's. I'm going to need a Pokemon_. He thought with a sly grin appearing over his face.

Sam walked through the empty streets of Littleroot town in the golden afternoon sun. _Thank God there's no-one around_, he thought, _I don't need the attention_.

"Ahh, there it is…" he said to himself, doing his trademark hair flick as he approached Professor Burke's lab.

The large white square building loomed over the street casting a magnificent shadow, displaying a huge glass dome on the roof. _It seems Burke has done some renovations_, Sam laughed as he stepping into the foyer.

"Interesting…" Sam said under his breath as he looked at the three magnificent sculptures of Pokemon around the foyer. _There's Torchic… and Mudkip… and Treeko, _he thought, easily recognises his region's most recognisable Pokemon.

"Can I help you sir?" a female voice rang out from behind him.

"I'm looking for Professor Burke," said Sam, not averting his gaze from the three statues.

"Oh, well, I'm sure I could help you sir, my name is Erin," said the girl who was smiling politely at Sam.

"Thanks Erin, but I need the Professor, it's pretty important…"

"Fair enough… well you'll probably find him on route 101 sir," said Erin, her smile disappearing as she turned and left Sam staring at the statues.

Sam turned to see the red head walking out of the room. _Sorry about that Erin_, thought Sam, _I just can't risk revealing myself yet_…

* * *

**Hi everyone, this is my first fanfic story =) I know it's a fairly basic thing, but I'm just trying to get my skills together because I have some ideas but no idea how to write them properly. So please review and let me know how to improve and what you thought =)**

**Also, the next chapter will probably be up pretty soon... I've already written the first four... stupid waiting period ;) haha**

**Accepting OC's, need their name, age, appearance, complete team (in the order of when they get them and if they evolve eventually or not), personality (may be subject to change depending on what the story needs).**


	2. Starting Anew

Chapter 2

_I wonder where Burke could be…_ thought Sam as he wandered towards the outskirts of the town. It was a beautiful day without so much as a cloud in the sky. _Boy, I've missed this weather_, thought Sam as he spotted a Wurmple digging in to a big red apple.

"!" Sam heard a voice screamed in the distance.

"What in the world…" said Sam allowed as he turned and ran in the direction of the cry.

"SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!" screamed the voice again.

_Yeah, yeah, I'm on my way_, thought Sam as he crashed through some bushes and into a clearing where a wild a small grey dog-like Pokemon called Poochyena was trying to jump into a tree.

"You there! Please help me! There are some Pokemon in the bag near you! Please help me!" cried a voice from the tree.

"Fine…" Sam sighed as he bent over to get a Pokeball from the bag.

"Well, let's do this…" said Sam gently tossing the Pokeball in front of him. As it hit the ground, the Pokeball swung open and let out the Pokemon that was inside.

"MUUUUDKIP!" cried the Pokemon as it burst into the sunshine.

_A Mudkip huh,_ thought Sam as he looked at the small blue mudfish Pokemon.

"Pooochy!" cried the Poochyena. Who was now facing the Mudkip and growling viciously. _This shouldn't be a problem_, though Sam.

"Mudkip, growl attack." said Sam as he started walking around the battlefield towards the tree the voice came from.

As he said it, the mudfish Pokemon began growling at the Poochyena, throwing it off-guard, dropping its attack.

"Now tackle it Mudkip." said Sam as he reached the tree the voice came from.

"Kiiip!" cried the Mudkip as it charged at the Poochyena, slamming into it with its body, making the Poochyena slide across the clearing. Growling, the Poochyena staggered to its feet, before hastily retreating into the long grass with lightning speed.

"You can come down now professor." said Sam suppressing a laugh as he and Mudkip stood under the tree, looking at the startled professor hugging a branch.

"Tha-that was amazing…" stammered professor Birch as he climbed out of the tree. Professor Birch looked like a middle aged man, with shoulder length brown hair and a white lab coat.

"I'm sorry, but have we met?" asked Burke.

"I doubt it professor, anyway, I'm here to collect a starter Pokemon from." said Sam as he recalled Mudkip into its Pokeball and held it out for the professor to take back.

"I believe this belongs to you," said Sam.

"You want a starter? Why don't you just keep Mudkip? He's quite and energetic Pokemon and seems to have taken a shine to you. It seems you two work well together" said the professor, who seemed busy trying to uncover the mystery trainer.

"Well thanks professor," said Sam, placing Mudkip's pokeball on his belt as he turned to walk away.

"Excuse me young man, but don't you need a Pokedex and some pokeballs?" said Burke as Sam started walking towards Littleroot.

"Already got them." laughed Sam pulling a rectangular red device and several red and white spheres out of his pocket and holding them up as he disappeared into the long grass towards Littleroot. _I'll head out tomorrow, that'll give me time to rest and get to know Mudkip._

_What a strange lad, and to already have Pokedex and those skills makes me wonder if he's been a trainer before…_ thought Professor Burke to himself as he gathered his scattered equipment from around the clearing.

* * *

**Hey everyone, thanks for the several OC's I've received, I'll be looking to add them in really soon =)**

**I'm still accepting more OC's and would appreciate feedback as well =)**


	3. Travel Companion

Chapter 3 - Travel Companions

**-Day 2-**

"I guess it's time to head out, aye Mudkip?" said Sam as he released the Pokemon from its Pokeball.

"Kiiiip, mud mud." Said the Pokemon as it jumped onto Sam's shoulder.

"Haha, well aren't you energetic today" laughed Sam as he rubbed the top of Mudkip's head.

Slinging his black backpack on, Sam left the Pokecentre accommodation. The duo began walking through the reasonably empty streets towards route 101. Suddenly, a small green gecko-like Pokemon dashed past them and up a tall tree, resting on a branch, where it began to take a nap.

"Treeko! Get back here!" a young blonde girl cried running past Sam and Mudkip to the base of the tree, "Get down here now!"

She looked about 16 and was wearing a short blue skirt and a white singlet. Her Pokedex was explaining to her about her Treeko.

"_Treeko has small hooks on the bottom of its feet that enable it to scale vertical walls. This Pokemon attacks by slamming foes with its thick tail."_ Explain the Pokedex.

_She must have just gotten that Treeko, _thought Sam to himself.

"Suppose we should help her, Mudkip?" chuckled Sam, rubbing his Pokemon's chin.

"Mud mud." Nodded Mudkip to its trainer.

"Very well," said Sam as he approached the girl, "need some help?"

"I'm fine thank you very much!" said the obviously frustrated girl without even glancing at Sam.

"Fair enough," said Sam calmly as he turned to walk away, "good luck getting that Treeko down anytime soon."

"What was that? If you think you're so good, then you get my Treeko down!" glared the girl revealing her stunning brown eyes.

"Fine… Mudkip, use Water Gun to get Treeko down from there" said Sam.

Mudkip jumped from Sam's shoulder into the air. As it opened its mouth a huge spiral of water shot out and hit Treeko off its resting place and into the girl's arms, where it appeared to have fainted.

"Oh my god! What have you done to my Treeko?!" cried the girl.

"Relax, your Treeko will be fine," explained Sam to the girl, "being a grass type that water gun shouldn't have done much damage at all, it'll be up and running around again in no time… or you could put it in its Pokeball until you can control it more…"

"I guess you're right…" said the girl as she pulled out a Pokeball and returned Treeko into it, "I'm sorry I was rude earlier, I've had this Treeko for 20 minutes now and it's been nothing but trouble… I'm Brooke by the way."

"Nice to meet you Brooke, but I had better be on my way…" said Sam as Mudkip jumped back onto his shoulder.

"Aren't you going to tell me your name?" said Brooke as Sam started walking away.

"In time I guess…"

"Well I'm headed to Ordale town, do you think you could help me train my Treeko?"

"Sure, I'm headed that way myself… Are you on a journey of some kind, Brooke?"

"Yeah! I want to challenge the Elite Four one day" exclaimed an excited Brooke.

From hearing this, Sam stopped in his tracks and half turned back to face Brooke.

"Is that so, Brooke?" said Sam.

"Sure is, I want to become the best!"

"Well then, I think I could teach you a thing or two along your journey, I'm going to be challenging the Elite Four in the near future as well." Laughed Sam as he slung his backpack on and started to walk towards route 101 for the last time; Brooke close behind him every step of the way.

_**********_

"Are we there yet?" asked Brooke as she trudged along behind Sam and Mudkip who were enjoying the fresh air.

"You know, you save energy by not complaining" sighed Sam. Brooke had been whining since they left Littleroot town several hours earlier.

"Perhaps we could grab something to eat and train your Treeko a bit?" suggested Sam, stopping to let Brooke catch up.

"That sounds great" exclaimed Brooke as she jogged up to Sam.

"Well maybe you should let it out of its Pokeball then?" laughed Sam, "got to start somewhere."

"Uhh… if you say so…" hestitated Brooke as she pulled Treeko's Pokeball out and enlarged it.

"Don't worry Brooke, if it makes a break for it, Mudkip will catch it, right buddy?" said Sam, petting Mudkip.

"Kip" nodded Mudkip.

"Alright… Treeko! Come on out!" called Brooke, throwing Treeko's Pokeball in front of her. Treeko emerged from its Pokeball and blinked a few times in the light.

"Treeeee!" it cried as it turned around to face Brooke. Brooke looked at Sam, as if to say _what now?_

"Just talk to it, Brooke, let it know you're its friend." explained Sam calmly.

"Oh okay… Umm, hi Treeko, I'm Brooke, it's a pleasure to meet you" said Brooke, as she held her hand out for Treeko to shake. Treeko seemed to consider for a second before turning away and fixing its eyes on a large fruit hanging from a nearby tree.

"Come on Treeko, we've got to be friends, we're a team now" said Brooke who was now getting a bit distressed by her inability to communicate with Treeko, who was now looking at Mudkip.

"Don't rush it," explained Sam, "Treeko will come around, it's just hungry at the moment, why don't you try getting to attack the tree to get that fruit it's been eyeing off."

"Oh that's a good idea!" said Brooke as she pushed her blonde hair out of her eyes, "Treeko, use pound on the tree to knock the fruit down!"

"Treeee" cried Treeko as it pounded the tree with its tail, successfully knocking the piece of fruit from its position on the tree and onto the ground in front of it.

"Nice work Treeko!" exclaimed Brooke who couldn't control her smiling.

"Nice work indeed," laughed Sam, "wont they be surprised when they see whose fruit that was…"

"WURRRRRRRRMMMMMM!"

"What was that?!" cried Brooke as she turned to Sam for support.

"Nothing you and Treeko can't handle," said Sam calmly, "ready for some entertainment Mudkip?"

"Mudkip" laughed Mudkip.

At that moment an angry red worm climbed down the tree staring at Treeko who was just finishing off its piece of fruit.

"Worm worm!" it shrieked as it slammed into Treeko.

"Treeko watch out!" called Brooke.

But it was too late. Treeko slid across the ground into a tree, where it rose to its feet slowly. Wurmple was gearing up for another attack.

"What should I do?" said Brooke to herself.

"Why don't you battle it," replied Sam cooly.

"Good ide - Treeko watch out!

Wurmple had just shot a long string at Treeko, but Treeko had heard Brooke's call and jumped out of the way of the string just in time.

"Come on Treeko! Use Pound!" called Brooke.

At the call, Treeko started running towards the Wurmple. But Wurmple had other ideas. Without warning, the spikes on Wurmples tail began to glow purple and it fired small purple projectiles at Treeko.

"Treeko dodge it!" commanded Brooke, "and now use leer!"

Treeko stared into Wurmple's eyes and intimidated it, dropping Wurmple's defence.

"Good now use pound, Treeko!"

"Treeeeee!" cried Treeko as it slammed Wurmple with its tail; sending Wurmple flying into the tree it came down from.

"Nice one Treeko!" called Brooke to Treeko, who gave her the peace sign.

"You should probably catch it before it gets away Brooke" interrupted Sam.

"Oh right, good point," said Brooke as she grabbed an empty Pokeball from her pocket, "Pokeball go!"

The ball tapped Wurmple, who disappeared inside it with a flash of red light.

"We did it!" cried Brooke.

"It's not over yet Brooke…" said Sam, staring at the Pokeball that was now wobbling from side to side as Wurmple tried to escape.

"Oh right…" said Brooke who watched the Pokeball until it stopped shaking and sat still.

"Wooo! Now we did it Treeko! We just caught a Wurmple!"

"Good job, Brooke and Treeko, you both have a keen battle sense" interrupted Sam as he and Mudkip walked over to Brooke and Treeko.

"Were you just testing me with that?" said a stunned Brooke.

"I saw that Wurmple yesterday and thought it might be fun to see how you went… once you and Treeko started working together you did quite well."

"Thankyou… hey you still haven't told me your name!"

"We should keep moving if we want to get to Ordale before dark, are you coming or what?" said Sam, obviously dodging the question.

"Fine," huffed Brooke as she recalled her Treeko, "hey, how come you don't keep you Mudkip in its Pokeball? That's kind of weird…"

"Well, would you enjoy being trapped inside a ball on a day like this?" smirked Sam without missing a beat.

"Oh… Good point. Treeko, come back out and walk with us" said Brooke as she released Treeko from its pokeball.

"Tree tree" smiled Treeko stretching its limbs, glad to be out of the pokeball in the fresh air again.

"So… you don't seem like a beginner trainer Sam," said Brooke, "I mean, you were so calm when Wurmple appeared, almost like you've done it before…"

"Well, let's just say that I have done it before." said Sam without making eye contact.

As the duo walked around the forest a small bird-like Pokemon flew overhead.

"What was that?!" exclaimed Brooke, pulling out her pokedex.

"That was a Taillow, I think I'll go and catch it…" replied Sam as he walked in the direction the Taillow flew.

"But the pokedex says it's a really strong fighter! It could be dangerous!" said Brooke racing after Sam.

"Exactly," said Sam as he continued to walk, "a perfect edition to my team."

"Hey! Wait up!" called Brooke as she ran after Sam.

* * *

**Hello again, thanks for all the OC's and feedback =) This chapter was originally 3 and for, but I took some advice from Insan and joined them together. Enjoy =) **

**Still accepting OC's, they dont all have to be epik trainers =P haha. Also critiques and comments are still wanted =)**

**Next chapter should be up in a few days, if not sooner =)**


	4. Taillow Food

Chapter 4 - Taillow Food

Sam and Brooke trailed the Taillow for several hundred metres before it finally settled in an old, giant oak tree in the middle of a huge clearing.

"So how do we get it down?" puffed Brooke as she finally caught up to Sam.

"Just wait, you'll see" replied Sam, with the same sly grin appearing on his face as he pulled an apple out of his backpack.

"I don't get it…" muttered Brooke.

As she finished saying it a loud ear-piercing cry came from the oak tree.

"Right on time," chuckled Sam, "if you check your pokedex again Brooke, you'll notice that Taillow have a huge appetite and cry loudly when they become hungry."

"Oh yeah… so that's what the apple is for?" said Brooke as she gazed up into the tree.

"It's not for Taillow… I get hungry too you know" laughed Sam as Brooke fell over from shock.

Taking a monstrous bite out of his apple, Sam explained his plan through a full mouth of juicy apple.

"Well, your pokedex also says that Taillow feed on Wurmple…" said Sam, taking another bite out of his apple.

"I'm still not following…" replied Brooke, becoming more and more confused.

"Well it just so happens we have a Wurmple with us at the moment," sighed Sam as he motioned to the pokeball on Brooke's belt.

"But we…" it finally clicked for Brooke, "oh no way! You are not using my Wurmple as bait for that stupid bird!"

"Come on Brooke, I can guarantee it'll be safe, you can watch the whole thing to make sure" explained Sam.

"I dunno, I mean… It is my Wurmple that's at risk" replied Brooke.

"Just release your Wurmple, Brooke, I've got it all planned out, just watch… and besides, you can recall Wurmple whenever you want" said Sam calmly.

"Good point…" muttered Brooke as she retrieved Wurmple's pokeball from her belt.

"Look, Mudkip and I can handle it, right Mudkip?" said Sam, stroking Mudkip's head.

"Kip kip" smiled Mudkip, the determination spreading over its face as it got ready for the battle.

"Fine, Wurmple come on out!" called Brooke as she released Wurmple into the clearing.

"Worm worm!" cried Wurmple, stretching itself as it was released from the pokeball.

Sam grabbed Brooke's hand and quickly led her out of the clearing and into the bush.

"What the hell are you doing?!" cried Brooke, a little too loudly for Sam's liking.

"Just keep it down, we need to stay out of Taillow's eyesight so that it will come out" said Sam, covering Brooke's mouth in the process.

"Mmmm ermmm mmmm" mumbled Brooke as she tried to talk with Sam's hand over her mouth.

Suddenly, Brooke could feel her face become red as she realised that Sam was holding her. _Why am I feeling like this? _She thought to herself, _I still don't even know his name…_

Sam was watching Wurmple intently, waiting for Taillow to jump on its suspecting prey, whilst Brooke was lost in thought. _What is that girl thinking?_ Thought Sam, _She can't be that scared for Wurmple…_

Wurmple continued on its business, snacking on leaves throughout the clearing. Long minutes went by and Sam eventually removed his hand when Brooke stopped struggling.

Suddenly, another ear-splitting cry erupted from the tree, causing both Sam and Brooke to cover their ears. A blue blur abruptly shot out from the tree towards Wurmple who was stunned with fear.

"Mudkip! Use water gun!" called Sam jumping up from the bush as a blue swirl of water flew directly into the path of the unsuspecting Taillow.

Direct hit. Taillow was thrown off-course and was knocked straight into a tree.

"Nice shot Mudkip," smiled Sam to the small blue Pokemon, "but it isn't over yet" he continued as he noticed Taillow rearing up for an attack on Mudkip.

"Oh Brooke…" he said without turning to face the stunned teenage girl whose face was still rather flushed, "you can recall your Wurmple now."

"What? Oh, okay… Wurmple… return…" stammered Brooke as she returned the worm Pokemon to its pokeball.

"Thanks agai- Mudkip, dodge!" Sam was interrupted as Taillow shot across the clearing with a quick attack.

Mudkip jumped to its left to avoid the attack, but wasn't quick enough getting scraped by the angry bird Pokemon as it shot past, leaving some scratches on Mudkip's leg.

"Looks like we have a quick one…" said Sam to no-one in particular, "Mudkip, use bide!"

As Sam said the attack Mudkip braced itself and began glowing red. Taillow struck another two times with a quick attack.

"Perfect…" said Sam without taking his eyes off the battle.

"What are you talking about?" cried Brooke, finally having registered what was happening in front of her, "Mudkip is getting creamed!"

"Believe what you want, but if I were you, I'd watch what happens next…" said Sam calmly as Taillow began its charge for another attack, "wait for it… nearly there… Now! Mudkip, unleash your energy!"

Just as the Taillow got into striking range Mudkip let out a cry and the red energy was shot towards the ignorant Taillow, hitting it directly and throwing it back across the clearing.

"Good job Mudkip! Pokeball, go!" said Sam as he tossed a pokeball at the injured Taillow.

Just as the ball was about to hit Taillow, the courageous bird Pokemon flicked up its wing and deflected the ball back to Sam.

"Still not done eh, looks like the pokedex is completely true… Mudkip, use tackle!" said Sam, catching the deflected pokeball as it made its way back to him.

Mudkip charged across the clearing and slammed its body into the Taillow, sending the blue bird sprawling into a tree.

"Now use mud-slap to finish it off!" commanded Sam raising the pokeball, ready to throw again.

Mudkip turned away from Taillow and dug its back legs into the ground. It then kicked up the mud from the ground and sent it directly at Taillow who was unable to avoid the attack.

"That should do it," said Sam, apparently talking to himself again, "Gotchya now, pokeball go!"

The pokeball flew throw the air towards the bird Pokemon who was now stuck in a huge pile of mud. This time, the pokeball hit the small Pokemon, opened and caught Taillow inside.

_Hmm…_ thought Sam, _I wonder if that was enough, this Taillow is tougher than any I've encountered before._

The pokeball wobbled on the ground for a short while and eventually signified the completed capture with a resounding _ping_ sound.

"We did it Mudkip" smiled Sam as he stroked to small Pokemon's head

"Mud, mud kip!" exclaimed the excited Pokemon.

"Th-that was amazing!" cried Brooke, running up to Sam and giving him an ungraceful hug that nearly sent both trainers sprawling, "but I didn't think that ground attacks worked on flying types…" she said as she straightened herself up, still not believing what she just did.

"To be honest, I wasn't using mud-slap to damage Taillow at all…" calmly explained Sam, regaining his composure and picking up the pokeball that lay on top of the pile of mud, "if you were watching, the first time I tried to capture Taillow it just used its wing to deflect my pokeball, however, but trapping it in the mud, I stopped Taillow from repeating the same trick…"

"Ingenious…" thought Brooke out loud, "you are a very skilful trainer; this Mudkip isn't your first Pokemon is it?"

"I can tell you right now that Mudkip isn't my first Pokemon, but I couldn't be happier with him" said Sam, examining his new Pokemon's pokeball.

"Well what do you know…? You're actually telling me something about yourself," giggled Brooke, "I suppose we should be heading to Ordale town now?"

"You're right, we should head off… But I'm just wondering…" said Sam thoughtfully, "what's a Taillow doing out here?"

"What do you mean?" said an obviously confused Brooke.

"Taillow aren't normally found in these parts… check your pokedex" replied Sam, still studying the pokeball.

Brooke pulled her pokedex out of her backpack and looked up where Taillow are found.

"You're right, this is strange…" said Brooke, who was now up to speed with what Sam was thinking about.

"Even though this Taillow is young, it's at a very high level for its age… quick attack is a more advanced move for this age group… This little guy must have been separated from its flock sometime ago and has had to fend for itself for a while…" explained Sam, adding to Brooke's confusion.

"So I guess that explains why it was so hungry…" guessed Brooke, trying to keep up with Sam's thought pattern.

"Yeah it does," replied Sam, giving Brooke a nod of approval for her deductive work, causing her face to go red again, "so we should feed this little one now… Too bad I don't have any apples left."

The last statement caused Brooke to fall over again.

"I'm sure we can find something…" she said as she regained her composure.

"Why don't you get your Treeko to help?" said Sam as Mudkip jumped back onto his shoulder.

"How will that help?" asked Brooke, as confused with Sam as ever.

"Well Treeko is a natural tree dweller, it'll be easy for it to find some food for Taillow," explained Sam.

"Why are you always right?" tutted Brooke as she released Treeko from its pokeball, "Treeko, can you help us find some apples?"

"Tree-koo!" nodded Treeko.

Treeko began looking around and suddenly caught on to something.

"ko ko tree!" it exclaimed, bounding out of the clearing and into the forest area.

"Wait up!" cried Brooke as she and Sam began chasing after the excited Treeko.

* * *

**I know I should probably be waiting longer between chapters, but I wrote this last night and I just couldn't wait to get it up =)**

**Anyways, the next chapter will introduce Sam's main rival, OC courtesy of Spartan20 and we delve a little into Sam's past =)**

**As always, feedback is very much appreciated and OC's are always welcome =)**


	5. Names and Apples

Chapter 5

"Treeko! Please slow down!" begged Brooke as she and Sam barely managed to keep up with the speedy grass Pokemon as it jumped between trees ahead of them.

"Gosh… I hope there's a tonne of apples wherever we're going… I'm starved" puffed Sam as they ran, causing Brooke to stumble from the comment.

"I thought you just ate?" sighed Brooke as she ducked under a low branch.

"It's a curse I know," Sam managed to chuckle as he jumped over a small hedge, Mudkip barely hanging on.

The trio kept chasing Treeko until it suddenly stopped on a large branch at the edge of a lake.

"Finally…" puffed Brooke as they caught up to Treeko, "Whoa!"

"Wow," said Sam, whistling in agreement with Brooke's exclamation, "That's one big lake."

The lake was about 300 metres in diameter and had a small island in the middle. On closer inspection, the small group saw a large tree with sparkling red apples hanging from its many branches.

"Well that's just great," huffed Brooke, "how are we supposed to get the apples? Treeko, thanks for your help, now return please" she said as she called Treeko to its pokeball.

"Just strip off and swim there," winked Sam to Brooke, who was turning bright red again, "just kidding, "I'm sure Mudkip would be glad to help."

"Mud, mud kip!" winced Mudkip as it landed on the grass.

"Isn't Mudkip still kind of injured from the battle against Taillow?" said Brooke as she bent down and stroked Mudkip's head. Sam noticed that she stroked Mudkip the same way he did.

"I see your point, looks like we're going swimming Brookey" chuckled Sam, pleased that the new nickname made Brooke go redder than ever. _Gotta love nicknames…_ he thought.

Sam allowed Mudkip to splash around in the shallows of the lake whilst he and Brooke got changed into their swimming gear. Shortly after they disappeared into separate bushes, Sam emerged wearing black board shorts with a green lightning bolt down the right leg; his toned physique soaking up the sun's warm rays. _Boy did I miss this_, he thought to himself.

"So are we swimming over now?" Sam heard Brooke say behind him.

"For sur-," Sam's jaw dropped as he noticed Brookes stunning body in her red two piece bikini with pokeball designs. _You're kidding,_ he thought.

"What is it?" giggled Brooke, who was perfectly aware of what had caught Sam's attention.

"Oh, uh… nothing," stammered Sam, remembering to close his mouth. Brooke's tanned body was glowing in the sunlight, he bikini top doing little to cover her surprisingly busty chest.

"L-lets go" Sam said, finally regaining his composure.

Brooke couldn't help but giggle, she knew Sam was taken aback. _Gotcha_, she giggled quietly.

"Well what are you waiting for?" she laughed as grabbed her bag, ran past Sam and dove into the water.

"Didn't see that one coming hey buddy," said Sam to Mudkip, who couldn't figure out what was happening

"Right, let's beat her to the island." Winked Sam, picking up his bag before he and Mudkip jumped into the water, hot on Brooke's heels.

Sam, Mudkip and Brooke raced over to the island, Mudkip flying through to win despite its slight injury. As the trio arrived on the small island they realised that there were hundreds of ripe red apples everywhere.

"Looks like there is plenty for everyone" smiled Sam as he picked one of the apples up and Brooke released Treeko and Wurmple.

Upon being released, Treeko, Wurmple and Mudkip all started playing together, chasing one another around the base of the tree.

"Isn't that cute," giggled Brooke as she watched the three Pokemon play, noticing a small gold card resembling a Trainer Card sticking out of Sam's back pocket.

_I can finally find out who Mr Mystery over here actually is_, thought Brooke, a sly grin appearing on her face.

"Come on out Taillow, time for something to eat" said Sam as he released Taillow into the shade beneath the giant apple tree.

"Tay tay" cried Taillow weekly as Brooke selected a big juicy apple from the tree.

"Here you go Taillow," smiled Brooke as she held a large red apple out towards Taillow, "eat up, you'll feel better."

Taillow seemed confused and looked at Mudkip who nodded and ate an apple it found nearby.

"Low, low," said Taillow gratefully before eating the entire apple in one bite.

"Whoa! This one's got nearly as big an appetite as you" laughed Brooke as she walked back past Sam.

"Like I said, perfect edition," winked Sam before taking an enormous bite out of an apple he had collected.

"Oh no!" Brooke cried, as she pretended to trip over a stray root from the tree.

"Gotcha!" said Sam as he caught her, little did he know that as he caught her, she snatched his trainer card from his back pocket.

"Ha Ha!" triumphantly cried Brooke, holding the gold trainer card in the air.

"What the… GIVE THAT BACK!" called Sam, chasing Brooke across the island

"And… the… mystery… trainer… is…" laughed Brooke between breathes, "Sam! So… your… name… is… Sam!"

"Yes… that… is…. My name is… Sam," puffed Sam, closing the gap between himself and Brooke, _I guess she doesn't know what a gold trainer card signifies…_ he thought to himself.

"Can I please have it back now?" said Sam, stopping to catch his breath.

"Well… I could give it to you," chuckled Brooke, enjoying her temporary power, "or, you can come and get it" she winked.

"Well, I guess I have no choice…" said Sam, an evil grin spreading across his face as he suddenly lunged at the unsuspecting Brooke.

"Ahhhh!" she giggled as Sam wrapped his arms around her, stopping her from running away again.

"May I please have my card back now Brookey?" whispered Sam into Brooke's ear.

"Sure," giggled Brooke, enjoying every second and taking her time to hand the card back to Sam, "I guess you win this round Sammy"

"Sammy eh? I guess that makes it even," chuckled Sam as he finally got his card back, "until now!" Sam picked Brooke up and started carrying her towards the lake, she seemed blissfully unaware of the surprise she was about to get. When Sam got to the edge of the beach he looked Brooke in the eyes and whispered, "are you ready Brookey?" she seemed lost in a fantasy world.

"Ready for what Sammy?" whispered Brooke back, staring deeply into Sam's eyes.

"One… Two…" counted Sam, the sly grin appearing on his face again, "THREE!" as he said three, Sam threw Brooke into the water.

"Ahhhhh! What the?! Oh that's it! You're in for it now Sammy!" cried Brooke, who was trying to be angry with Sam, but couldn't help but see the funny side as a huge grin cracked over her face, "I'll get you for that!" she laughed as she started splashing Sam.

The group stayed on the small island eating and playing in the shallows with each other until it turned to dusk.

"How about a camp fire?" shivered Brooke, pulling a fuzzy tracksuit out of her bag as a cold gust of wind flew through.

"Sounds great," said Sam as he pulled his long sleeve shirt back on to match with his jeans he had put on earlier, "although we have one small problem…"

"Oh yeah? And what would that be Mr know-it-all" giggled Brooke, zipping her tracksuit jacket up to her chin.

"Well, Mr know-it-all believes there is no firewood here, only the apple tree, so it looks like we're going with a tent and sleeping bags tonight," explained Sam, unrolling a large tarp like object, "have you got a tent princess?" he finished with a cheeky grin.

"Oh… well that would be useful…" muttered Brooke as she walked over to her camping equipment, "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"

"What's up?" replied Sam, dropping his half finished tent on his foot as he turned to see what the commotion was about.

"I may or may not have left my tent at home…" replied Brooke as she frantically went through her bag.

Sam tripped when he heard this. _Unbelievable... _he thought to himself.

"Have you at least got a sleeping bag?"

"Now that… I… wait a second," Brooke said as she continued to rummage through her bag, "Ahh yes, I do have my sleeping bag" she proudly said as she pulled a pink rolled up sleeping bag out of her backpack.

"Well that's just wonderful… my tent is only big enough for one though…" sighed Sam as he hitched the last section of the tent up, "but I guess you can have it, being your first night out on the road… under one condition…" he added with a sly grin.

"Oh? And what would that one condition be?" asked Brooke, sliding up close to where Samuel was standing.

"You have to…" he started, apparently at indecision about what to make Brooke do.

"Go on…" whispered Brooke, anxious to find out what was on Sam's mind, as she got into touching distance of Sam.

"You have to… make me…"

"Yes…?" Brooke felt like she would burst, the excitement was overpowering her.

"Make me breakfast in the morning" said Sam, staring directly into Brooke's eyes.

Brooke stood still, hardly knowing what to think. _Is this a joke?_ She thought to herself.

"Nah, I'm just kidding Brookey" laughed Sam, "but breakfast would be great" he winked as he unrolled his black sleeping bag under the tree, a short distance away from the tent.

"You can be such a tosser," sight Brooke as she rolled her eyes and moved her sleeping bag into the tent, "but if it gets too cold out here, just move inside, there's no use in getting sick on the first night."

_You have no idea…_ thought Sam as his mind flashed back to his first night when he started his quest.

_***Flashback***_

"_Now, you be careful Sam,"_ said a young woman with long brown hair as she waved to her ten year old son whilst they walked towards their front door, "make your mother proud"

"I will mum," grinned the tanned young boy, "with Sqirtle by my side, I'll be the champion before you know it!"

"I know you will honey, now make sure you look after yourself, don't get sick by doing something stupid" said the woman, as she fiddled with the folds of her dress, trying to hide her nervousness.

"You know me mum, I'll call you when I get to Fuschia" chuckled the boy as he hugged his mother and ran out the front door, his Squirlte hot on his heels.

"Bye mum!" called the boy.

"Good luck son" whispered the mother, a single tear running down her face as she watched her son run across the beach towards Fuschia City.

***

"This is great hey Squirtle!" laughed the young Sam as he cannonballed into the waves, his Squirlte mimicking him by withdrawing into its shell just before each wave hit. "It's getting a bit cold though" he shivered, walking back up the beach and deciding to lie in the slightly warm sand.

"Squirt squirt" said the Squirtle as it flopped onto the beach beside its owner and best friend.

"And to think, we'll be in Fuschia tomorrow and we can battle Janine, the gym leader, I bet she'll be tough" grinned the boy as he thought out loud and began to drift into a deep sleep.

***

"Ahhh! What the hell?" the young boy awoke with a start as a wave crashed down onto his ankles.

"Oh no! I fell a-a-a-aaaaa choooooo!" he sneezed and began to shiver all over, _not good…_ he thought as he grabbed his towel and a change of clothes from his backpack, which had thankfully survived a soaking. His Squirlte following him up the beach with a worried look on its face.

"Not good, not good, not good" he repeated himself until he was dry and inside his sleeping bag, back up the beach towards the mainland.

"Squirtle squirlte?" the small turtle Pokemon asked looking at its best friend shivering and sneezing in his sleeping bag.

"I'll be fine Squirtle," said the young boy, sniffing back some mucus that was blocking his nose, "I've just got to warm up and get back to sleep and I'll be fine"

"Squirt squritle…" nodded the Pokemon as it withdrew its limbs into its shell.

_I'm freezing!_ Thought the young boy to himself, not wanting to wake Squirtle for a second time that night, _I can't believe I did something so stupid and irresponsible already. What a way to start, I just hope I'm up to the gym battle tomorrow…_

***

*The next day*

The young Sam and Squirtle managed to make it to Fuschia City by around midday the following day. Sam was still showing sign of illness and Squirtle was still looking very troubled about it.

"Let's head to the Pokemon Centre first, okay buddy?" said a pale and obviously exhausted Sam as he trudged through the streets of Fuschia.

"Squirlte…" replied the small Pokemon.

The pair slowly made their way to the Pokemon Centre, Sam's condition seeming to get worse with every slow, weakening steps. Finally, the duo got to the entrance.

"Well that didn't take too long," chuckled Sam before collapsing from fatigue and illness…

***End Flashback***

"Hello out there! I said goodnight sleepy head!"

Sam's mind jolted back to the present where he was shivering in his sleeping bag and apparently ignoring Brooke.

_I'm not letting that happen again…_ thought Sam to himself as he got out of his sleeping bag and dragged it over to the tent.

"Scoot over Brookey! It's freezing out here" laughed Sam as he got to the entrance of the tent.

"Too cold for heroes then Sammy?" laughed Brooke as she helped manoeuvre Sam's sleeping bag into the tent so both trainers had enough room to sleep comfortably.

"Goodnight Sammy"

"Goodnight Brookey" laughed the two trainers to each other.

_I guess I'm going to have to work hard to crack him_… thought Brooke as she dozed off.

_Got to be smart this time around_… thought Sam to himself as he quickly fell asleep.

* * *

**Sorry it's been so long since the last chapter, I got caught in midterm exams =.=**

**Anyways, this is chapter five, I'm trying to make all the chapters at least this length from now on.**

**Looking to introduce maybe two new characters in the next chapter, so keep the OC's coming =)**

**Reviews are also great in helping me hone my skills and are much appreciated ;)**

**Enjoy!**


End file.
